Description:
In this enlightening episode of The Builders Podcast, Nathan Warner joins Matt Levenhagen to share his journey from struggling as an online learner to becoming a pioneer in course design. Nathan breaks down the core reasons most online courses fail to engage learners and offers actionable insights to create impactful, high-completion courses.
Listeners will discover how to harness human psychology, gamification, and streamlined content delivery to build courses people actually finish. Whether you're a seasoned course creator or just considering your first project, this episode provides the tools, mindset, and strategies to ensure your efforts translate into meaningful results for learners and your business.
Key Takeaways:
- Human Motivation Is Everything: Understand how momentum and small wins drive learner success.
- Keep It Simple: You don’t need fancy tools—focus on a strong message and clear delivery.
- Engagement Over Information: Courses succeed when they are memorable, not just informative.
- Iterate and Learn: Start small, gather feedback, and improve as you go.
- Leverage Gamification: Use rewards and storytelling to captivate learners from start to finish.
- Plan Beyond the Course: Build trust during the course and create a clear path for learners to continue engaging with your brand.
Explore the nuts and bolts of how Nathan cracked the code to higher course completion rates, and why his methods are transforming online education.
Nathan Warner
Nathan is a seasoned expert in the field of online education, specializing in designing courses that enhance completion rates and engagement. With a career that began in 2007, Nathan has helped universities and businesses alike create compelling online learning experiences. His innovative approach focuses on leveraging human psychology and gamification to boost completion rates far above industry averages.
Currently, Nathan serves as a professor and consultant, helping educators and entrepreneurs develop courses that not only sell efficiently but also deliver profound educational impact.
THE MEAT OF IT!
- Nathan Warner’s Journey to Mastering Online Courses
- From failing as an online learner to becoming an industry leader
- How personal challenges led to a new perspective on course design
- Understanding the Core Problems in Online Education
- The shocking statistics: why most learners don’t finish courses
- Common pitfalls: content overload, lack of engagement, and poor UX
- The Psychology of Course Engagement
- How human motivation drives completion rates
- Applying principles from social media and gamification to courses
- Momentum as the key to retaining learners
- Practical Steps for Building Engaging Courses
- Why less is more: the power of short, focused content
- Tools and platforms for starting simply and scaling effectively
- Real-life examples of successful, low-tech course creation
- Who Should Build Courses and Why
- Self-assessment: is creating a course the right move for you?
- Storytelling and presentation as critical skills for success
- The Future of Online Courses: Redefining Success
- Beyond sales: turning students into loyal advocates
- Crafting a post-course journey that builds lasting relationships
Click to See Episode Chapters and Timestamp
| Timestamp | Summary |
| 0:00 | Overcoming Online Course Challenges to Enhance Learning Experiences |
| 5:17 | Boosting Course Completion Rates Through Engagement and Strategy |
| 8:56 | Evolution of Online Courses from Content to User Experience |
| 11:09 | Applying Social Media Engagement Tactics to Online Courses |
| 14:57 | Who Should and Shouldn't Create Online Courses |
| 19:31 | Learning From Diverse Industries to Innovate and Engage Audiences |
| 22:27 | Building Courses: Iteration, Feedback, and Audience Engagement |
| 26:41 | Maximizing User Engagement by Maintaining Momentum in Online Courses |
| 27:54 | The Psychology of Course Completion and Video Consumption |
| 35:51 | Creating Impactful Courses with Minimal Equipment and Strong Messages |
| 41:55 | Transforming Courses Into Engaging Experiences for Better Completion |
| 50:39 | Creating Effective Online Courses with Unique Approaches |
Check out these related Episodes:
- Episode 203: Matt Raad – Real Estate Expert: How to Buy, Renovate, and Sell ONLINE ‘Real Estate’
- Episode 202: Kirsten Pedersen – From Strawberry Jam to a Thriving Catering Business: Building a Culinary Dream
- Episode 201: Nick Jain – Small Changes, Big Impact: Introducing New Features & Intentional Innovation
